Limited by time or budget? Our Mini-Packages allow you to choose the services that best suit your needs. Rather than guiding you through the entire process, as we do in our Comprehensive Package, you steer the ship. We start with an Applicant Assessment to get to know better you and your goals—then, you choose the additional services that meet your needs.
The Applicant Assessment
The initial step. The college application process is more competitive and complex than ever. Application volumes are at an all-time high, and colleges across the selectivity spectrum are more intentional than ever about how they build their classes. Most families are left guessing whether their student is on the right track and what, if anything, they should be doing differently.
Our Application Assessment strategy session changes that. In a single focused meeting, you'll get an expert, admissions-officer-level read on your student's full applicant picture, including academic record, activities, test scores, and personal strengths, along with a frank conversation about how colleges will evaluate each piece of the application. You'll leave with clarity on where the student stands and a concrete sense of the most impactful next steps, whether you're working independently or considering additional support from our team.
This session is valuable at any stage of the journey. For younger students, it's a roadmap for building a stronger profile over time. For juniors and seniors, it's a focused strategy conversation about how to tell the student's story most effectively, so that when it's time to build a college list and prepare applications, you're starting from a position of clarity and confidence.
We consider the Applicant Assessment foundational to our work together and require it before moving on to any service options other than Essay Packages.
“We thought we had everything under control — until the spring of her junior year. We are all thrilled that you had a plan that worked for us, and we can’t thank you enough for your exceptional guidance and support!”
The College List
You want to know which of the thousands of colleges and universities in the US (or beyond) are a good fit for your educational future. That’s a daunting task and incredibly hard to do on your own. Relax! There are many great options out there, and you’ll have the knowledge of the College Matters team to help you discover them.
College Matters has over 20 years of experience in the field of educational consulting. Our team has been to hundreds of campuses in the last few years, meeting with admission representatives, talking with students, and getting the “inside scoop.”
Our College List package really digs into what you are looking for: academically, socially, and financially. After we’ve completed and Applicant Assessment, where we’ve really gotten to know you, we spend an entire hour probing deeper into your learning preferences and future goals. Outside of meeting time, your Educational Consultant will thoughtfully compile a comprehensive college list that includes most likely, likely, and less likely schools. Finally, we meet again to discuss our suggested college options and a strategy for applying.
And More
After the Applicant Assessment, feel free to engage with us for additional time. We can strategize your high school course selection, brainstorm extracurricular activities or summer programs, review your Common Application, prepare you for college interviews, demystify financial aid and merit scholarships, explain the college recruiting process for student-athletes, guide you in thinking about college majors and career options, talk about what a gap year might entail, and more.
There is no “typical” College Matters student. Considering highly selective institutions? We can help you develop a plan that is ambitious and realistic. Not a straight-A student? No problem. Questioning if college is the best next step? We can help you with that too!
Whatever your needs, we are here to guide you.